Subtle Mind meditation: focusing on breathing and letting go of thought, about 20 minutes.
The practices in this meditation are common to many teachings, especially those of eastern cultures. Bringing your awareness back to your breathing helps the mind allow random thoughts to wander through without hanging on to them. Breathing is to be done in a normal, relaxed manner instead of a controlled, forced pattern frequently advised.
I agree this can be beneficial, but this will depend on the person and the moment. If there's much physical or mental discomfort occurring, trying to force yourself through the practice is nearly impossible. Attempting to do so then will create a sense of failure and self-judgment, which undermines the goal of the meditation. Allowing yourself to experience the meditation within your own comfort levels while persisting in the practice will generate better results - I think. This may be ten minutes or simply recognizing your mental turmoil, but this itself is worthy progress.
Part of the goal of this exercise is for the awareness of breath to calm and slow the mind as the two become balanced. I'd recommend people that are new to this to personalize it to their needs and not allow any sense of failure as they work with it. Also, I've found my focus on breathing is most relaxing if I extend it through my whole body - head to toe, like a balloon filling. This seems to help relax all muscles for me.
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And the rest of life in my world...
"Sera, can I deprive Valleri of her senses?" - This question tended to cause a bit of a disturbance, but I was exploring the Ganzfeld experiment of sensory deprivation and needed some test subjects. I figured a kid that isn't yet locked into preconceived notions would be a good volunteer, and if necessary it wouldn't cost much to bribe her.
She's not unwilling, but her mother is a twitchy-type (hard to believe this if you know her mother, hm?). Sera instantly recalled an episode of "Paranormal" where the investigator used a similar device to better tune in to the negative energies haunting a young girl; this led her to empathatically declare she'd never risk 'opening her mind in case Evil was lurking!'
I'm not sure why she thinks a pack of spiritual nasties are waiting to leap on her, but it may have something to do with her frequent reading of Stephen King and related authors. She drives through a fog growing nervous as she recalls a story by that name; I drive through a heavy fog hoping to come out in the Emerald City. You see the difference in our thinking.
I haven't Ganzfeld-ed enough to have an opinion yet, and any interested readers can google "Ganzfeld" for more information - also DIY (do it yourself) Ganzfeld will return homemade methods. Anyone with experience on this, please share?
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On the home front, the pond-to-capture-runoff-from-the-driveway is working fine. Just it filled completely and ran over the other side anyway. I found a used sump-pump last summer, and it was the first opportunity to test its practicality. I dropped it in the pond, carefully plugged in the connections after drying the rain off them, and wow! Within a few minutes the level was drastically reduced, thus allowing the pond to refill again.
I will need to figure out filters, in that we continually get wash-out coming from the neighbor's; a lot of sand being carried down with the rain. I could get creative with a half-buried drain line covered with landscape cloth or something? "Water in, sand out."
At least I'm not 'on call' to monitor a puddle forming outside my bedroom door or trying to shovel the water away; if anything, I can simply plug in the pump and take the pond down a few inches. And if we lose power, I'll send Val out with a bucket to bail. :)
While it rains, I'll work on assignments.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Dancing with the Universe, or "Why an assignment was late"
I'm trying to recollect the past week; it seems the Universe tangoed with me frequently.
Tuesday I was mentally 'taking the high road' of non-forgiveness. This was a message from Eric after he passed, when I wanted to validate my position with him: "There's nothing to forgive." That wasn't a message I expected, but the deeper implications of it astounded me - I couldn't be forgiven because there was 'nothing to forgive' (at least between me and him). I was remembering this past experience and thought I should try for this same lofty ideal; hence, a lot of ex-partners wandered through my consciousness. Rather than "forgiving anybody," I chose non-forgiveness while recognizing Spirit. (We all got one, right?)
Easiest done when they're distant, I found out! Rare occasion on Wednesday; I'd missed two Pearle Vision appointments and was flying on a third attempt. I had 10 minutes to spare, so Guilt sent me into the store for a peace-offering of cookies... checking out was a previous partner that I haven't seen in years and have no desire to converse with (experience, he takes any contact as a 'come-on' and I believe he's unhappily single right now - I wasn't going to set myself up for unwanted involvement). Spirit being Spirit, I realized I could recognize this without recognizing the current physical man. Universal humbling moment on my grandiose non-forgiving!
I took stitches out of Val's heel, too. Took us awhile as we both flinched during the process. Brave of me, brave of her. :)
Rewarding bravery... She was begging to go to the dollar store and I needed a run into town. While she was selecting her prized items, I popped over to Habitat for Humanity, even though I didn't feel there was anything I needed or wanted. Strange 'need to go there' sensation, though consciously I wasn't seeking anything.
Except they had a bunk w/ futon below for $100, Val and Sera have been debating a bed for the kid's room, I had $100 of Sera's money that hadn't gone to her bank for bills... Called Sera who told us to go for it. After my spending that day, I had $106.79 in hand; with tax, the bed was $107. (I'm sure I could have dug a quarter out of the car if necessary.)
Silly man kept saying I'd need to make two trips with my hatchback, but he doesn't know me or my car well. We managed to put the whole thing in without difficulty, along with a laser printer and new ink cartridges and a scanner (free, H4H doesn't want computer-related items). The latter items were something I'd looked at some time ago, but the cost was out of my range and it wasn't a necessity. I may need to revamp my room some to accommodate this, but it may become a 'mechanical friend'. (Jim, just let this go, you know me!)
Friday I contacted a recent ex- because I had his dad's dog these last three years, and it was time to put her down. The Non-forgiveness principle worked well on this, and we drove her together to the vet on Saturday. (Must have been a reason for Tuesday's mental meanderings.)
Actually, I'd been asking the Universe for plant containers, since I'm not going to invest on new ones when the chance of plant-survival is about 50-50 here for three months. Retrieving my paper cutter from Pete was a choice I made, when I could have used my other cutter; just the 'chop one' would be easier. And his neighbor had a stack of planters with a free sign out. These were the plastic, 2-foot round ones, so 'large' is not an exaggeration. The Universe is apt to deliver in strange ways!
Betwixt and between, the appraiser came out to look at the Cadillac I rolled into a tree (brake line snapped), I filled the small pond to see how it was developing, and I tried to keep up with classes; one was submitted four days late (sigh). A week ago I gathered nettle from a friend's farm to dry, and I have been making nettle tea nightly.
It's seems it's been a week. Any day now I'll be tearing down an old barn.
(For the curious)
"The dried leaf of nettle contains 40% protein. They are one of the highest known sources of protein in a leafy green, and of superior quality than many other green leafy vegetables, The fresh leaves contain vitamins A, C, D, E, F, K, P, and b-complexes as well as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-6, all of which were found in high levels, and act as antioxidants. The leaves are also noted for their particularly high content of the metals selenium, zinc, iron, and magnesium. They contain boron, sodium, iodine, chromium, copper, and sulfur. They also contain tannic and gallic acids, gum, and wax. Sixteen free amino acids have been found in the leaves, as well as high silicon levels in the leaves, stems and roots. Amino acids in dehydrated nettle meal are nutritionally superior to those of alfalfa meal...
The active principles of this fluid are thought to be acetylcholine, histamine, and formic acid. Formic acid is the same acid that ants have in their saliva glands. Other chemicals found in the hairs are silica, serotonin, and 5-hydroxy tryptamine. Many of these chemicals are smooth muscle stimulants. U. dioica contains a high level of UDA acetylcholine in both the fresh hairs and leaves." - http://www.herballegacy.com/Vance_Chemical.html
Tuesday I was mentally 'taking the high road' of non-forgiveness. This was a message from Eric after he passed, when I wanted to validate my position with him: "There's nothing to forgive." That wasn't a message I expected, but the deeper implications of it astounded me - I couldn't be forgiven because there was 'nothing to forgive' (at least between me and him). I was remembering this past experience and thought I should try for this same lofty ideal; hence, a lot of ex-partners wandered through my consciousness. Rather than "forgiving anybody," I chose non-forgiveness while recognizing Spirit. (We all got one, right?)
Easiest done when they're distant, I found out! Rare occasion on Wednesday; I'd missed two Pearle Vision appointments and was flying on a third attempt. I had 10 minutes to spare, so Guilt sent me into the store for a peace-offering of cookies... checking out was a previous partner that I haven't seen in years and have no desire to converse with (experience, he takes any contact as a 'come-on' and I believe he's unhappily single right now - I wasn't going to set myself up for unwanted involvement). Spirit being Spirit, I realized I could recognize this without recognizing the current physical man. Universal humbling moment on my grandiose non-forgiving!
I took stitches out of Val's heel, too. Took us awhile as we both flinched during the process. Brave of me, brave of her. :)
Rewarding bravery... She was begging to go to the dollar store and I needed a run into town. While she was selecting her prized items, I popped over to Habitat for Humanity, even though I didn't feel there was anything I needed or wanted. Strange 'need to go there' sensation, though consciously I wasn't seeking anything.
Except they had a bunk w/ futon below for $100, Val and Sera have been debating a bed for the kid's room, I had $100 of Sera's money that hadn't gone to her bank for bills... Called Sera who told us to go for it. After my spending that day, I had $106.79 in hand; with tax, the bed was $107. (I'm sure I could have dug a quarter out of the car if necessary.)
Silly man kept saying I'd need to make two trips with my hatchback, but he doesn't know me or my car well. We managed to put the whole thing in without difficulty, along with a laser printer and new ink cartridges and a scanner (free, H4H doesn't want computer-related items). The latter items were something I'd looked at some time ago, but the cost was out of my range and it wasn't a necessity. I may need to revamp my room some to accommodate this, but it may become a 'mechanical friend'. (Jim, just let this go, you know me!)
Friday I contacted a recent ex- because I had his dad's dog these last three years, and it was time to put her down. The Non-forgiveness principle worked well on this, and we drove her together to the vet on Saturday. (Must have been a reason for Tuesday's mental meanderings.)
Actually, I'd been asking the Universe for plant containers, since I'm not going to invest on new ones when the chance of plant-survival is about 50-50 here for three months. Retrieving my paper cutter from Pete was a choice I made, when I could have used my other cutter; just the 'chop one' would be easier. And his neighbor had a stack of planters with a free sign out. These were the plastic, 2-foot round ones, so 'large' is not an exaggeration. The Universe is apt to deliver in strange ways!
Betwixt and between, the appraiser came out to look at the Cadillac I rolled into a tree (brake line snapped), I filled the small pond to see how it was developing, and I tried to keep up with classes; one was submitted four days late (sigh). A week ago I gathered nettle from a friend's farm to dry, and I have been making nettle tea nightly.
It's seems it's been a week. Any day now I'll be tearing down an old barn.
(For the curious)
"The dried leaf of nettle contains 40% protein. They are one of the highest known sources of protein in a leafy green, and of superior quality than many other green leafy vegetables, The fresh leaves contain vitamins A, C, D, E, F, K, P, and b-complexes as well as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-6, all of which were found in high levels, and act as antioxidants. The leaves are also noted for their particularly high content of the metals selenium, zinc, iron, and magnesium. They contain boron, sodium, iodine, chromium, copper, and sulfur. They also contain tannic and gallic acids, gum, and wax. Sixteen free amino acids have been found in the leaves, as well as high silicon levels in the leaves, stems and roots. Amino acids in dehydrated nettle meal are nutritionally superior to those of alfalfa meal...
The active principles of this fluid are thought to be acetylcholine, histamine, and formic acid. Formic acid is the same acid that ants have in their saliva glands. Other chemicals found in the hairs are silica, serotonin, and 5-hydroxy tryptamine. Many of these chemicals are smooth muscle stimulants. U. dioica contains a high level of UDA acetylcholine in both the fresh hairs and leaves." - http://www.herballegacy.com/Vance_Chemical.html
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